i am still new to this site and dont know whether or not this is the right place to put this new thread, but I am in need of some help. i hate hearing any noise that does not belong to my car so this one is completly driving me nuts! I have a 1997 Pontiac Trans Am with the LT1 engine. What happened was I took the to the mechanic shop in order to get my intake manifold gasket replaced because it was leaking oil. They replaced and after I got it back from the i started hearing a clicking noise when i step on the gas. You can hear it pretty good inside the car and i am positive it is coming from the engine compartment. I took it back to them and they gave me the run around and didnt want to test drive to hear it and i left. The thing is you can not hear the clicking noise at idle, or while in park and revving the engine. Only when you are driving and stepping on the gas. A friend suggested to replace the header gaskets as that might be the cause, maybe a blown head gasket. I removed them and both looked in pretty bad shape so i replaced them with percys dead soft aluminum gaskets. I originally had the gaskets that came with pacesetter long tube (they suck!). Once i replaced them the noise continued, another friend said maybe becAuse the me hanic shop used regular oil instead of synthetic like i like to use. So i jus changed it back to mobile 1 5w-30 synthetic and still have thAt noise. Please help!

Sounds like a exhaust leak. My TA was just doing that. Had to really listen for it at idle. Raise the rpms and it gets louder. Just needed to tighten the header bolts. Check where the header and y pipe meet and make sure those bolts are tight too.

Ok just a quick update here, I checked where the header and y pipe meets and tightened up all of the bolts to that. But the clicking noise continues, as for the header bolts I havent got around to checking that but I am not sure if I should because I literally just replaced the gaskets and tightened everything. As for the rocker arms, my mechanic told me when you take off the intake manifold you do not have to mess with the rocker arms.

Even though you don't have to touch the rocker arms when you remove the intake the nuts CAN back off throwing them slightly out of adjustment.
Although mine ticked even at idle and eventually turned to a miss (more slung off on other side). This was after 1500 miles on a freshly built engine in the Camaro I had traded for.
Point being it doesn't hurt to check.

Even if your header gaskets are new you should keep tightening them down every few days. Remember, start at the center and go out to get a nice seal. It takes a few months before everything settles in and the header bolts / studs stay in tightly. Even then, I always check mine once a month.

I would remove the the valve covers, very easy to do, just to rule it out.

There isn't much you can mess up when installing new intake gaskets. Only thing I can think of is leaving a part, tool, towel (R3DLT1), or something in the lifter valley.

It's hard to say without hearing the noise and using a steth to find it, but my LS1 had a clicking noise lately. It turned out to be caused by a small slit in the serpentine main belt. It only happened when the engine was off-idle. Of course, you don't have the same pump drive setup on an LT1, but thought I would mention it.